Is it clear that the lesson addresses both important content and scientific practices?
Maybe. The NSES emphasizes the need for students to understand the cellular roots of heredity, including the role of DNA, etc, at the molecular level in heredity. Do you consider having students work do this level of work with Punnett Squares as addressing this need? If so, then that, and the other concepts that you decide to include, should be included in an "unpacking" of the learning goal.
Do you think that your instructions on the worksheet support students thinking and acting like scientists? If so, then what science practices will they be refining in this lesson? You should make these clear in the learning performances.
Instructional Activities
What science practices are required?
Students are performing the actions associated with investigating heredity. It might be difficult if a student has trouble following the worksheet's directions and cannot progress because you're conducting the class like a test. Why are you doing this? I can see that maybe if the activity is supposed to be a performance assessment, but science is generally a social enterprise. If you have to make changes after first period, I would suggest (a) having students work in pairs, or (2) "selling" hint sheets for one or two points deducted from score.
How are the science practices assessed?
I suspect that your rubric, though well thought out, maybe difficult to use. I would suggest that you prompt students to support their final answer with evidence from their previous work and their prior understanding of heredity.
Other notes:
You clearly have put a lot of thought and work into this lesson, and I am delighted that you could adapt your work for 371. You can make the lesson plan stronger by adding more detail about what you will do to support your students while they work on the assignment. It is probably not reasonable to think they will all be able to work independently, so what will you do to assess and scaffold their progress?
This may seem silly, but I am a bit concerned with the message your assignment sends about how scientists do research on other species. Though we "mate" and catalog animals, I would argue that the aliens are probably more advanced than we are, and therefore it migth not be ethical to perform this type of research on them without their informed consent. If you have a student that points this out, how will you address the issue?
Inquiry Lesson Feedback: Krista B.
Evaluated by: Jay F.Score: 9/10
Standards / Learning Performances
Is it clear that the lesson addresses both important content and scientific practices?
Maybe. The NSES emphasizes the need for students to understand the cellular roots of heredity, including the role of DNA, etc, at the molecular level in heredity. Do you consider having students work do this level of work with Punnett Squares as addressing this need? If so, then that, and the other concepts that you decide to include, should be included in an "unpacking" of the learning goal.
Do you think that your instructions on the worksheet support students thinking and acting like scientists? If so, then what science practices will they be refining in this lesson? You should make these clear in the learning performances.
Instructional Activities
What science practices are required?
Students are performing the actions associated with investigating heredity. It might be difficult if a student has trouble following the worksheet's directions and cannot progress because you're conducting the class like a test. Why are you doing this? I can see that maybe if the activity is supposed to be a performance assessment, but science is generally a social enterprise. If you have to make changes after first period, I would suggest (a) having students work in pairs, or (2) "selling" hint sheets for one or two points deducted from score.How are the science practices assessed?
I suspect that your rubric, though well thought out, maybe difficult to use. I would suggest that you prompt students to support their final answer with evidence from their previous work and their prior understanding of heredity.
Other notes:
You clearly have put a lot of thought and work into this lesson, and I am delighted that you could adapt your work for 371. You can make the lesson plan stronger by adding more detail about what you will do to support your students while they work on the assignment. It is probably not reasonable to think they will all be able to work independently, so what will you do to assess and scaffold their progress?
This may seem silly, but I am a bit concerned with the message your assignment sends about how scientists do research on other species. Though we "mate" and catalog animals, I would argue that the aliens are probably more advanced than we are, and therefore it migth not be ethical to perform this type of research on them without their informed consent. If you have a student that points this out, how will you address the issue?